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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Courteous drivers? Here?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few days back I read that a road rage survey found metro Atlanta among the cities with the most courteous drivers.
“Good for us. Our mamas taught us right,” I thought.
Then I drove home.
During the years I’ve lived in Snellville, I’ve logged a variety of commutes: from Snellville to downtown Atlanta, from Snellville to Lawrenceville, from Snellville to Conyers, from Snellville to Jonesboro and more. My current path takes me from Snellville to Norcross.
For the most part, I agree with the survey. While traffic may stink, the majority of drivers tend to be reasonable. (This excludes travel during Christmas shopping season or major motoring calamities.)
Even with the tricky suicide lanes on U.S. 78, the scene is generally one of good behavior.
Not on my commute home. The ugly bug comes out to play in the flood of drivers traveling from Norcross to Snellville during the evening rush hour.
You’ve experienced it. You sit, waiting in a line of traffic poised to turn right. Every so often you advance a few places, then sit again.
You feel him before you even see him. He cruises up on the left and, just as your line of traffic starts to advance, pokes his front right fender in between two cars, forcing his way into prime position.
He’s not to be confused with a driver who’s lost his way, finding himself in the wrong lane. You can identify those folks and let them in. This aggressor deems himself more important than anyone waiting in line, his time more valuable.
You clench your jaw, grind your teeth. You seethe.
Just as you loosen up and shake off the offending party after contemplating the essence of eternal damnation, another invader whizzes by and inserts herself in front of a hesitant pickup.
This time your ire is not only for the perpetrator but for those so distracted as to allow a few inches for the infiltration.
Sound familiar?
There are variations of this tale – drivers who ride the emergency lane and then force themselves into traffic or move into a right-turn lane and then bully their way back in, etc. The MO is the same.
On my commute home, there are three spots where this is a daily occurrence: two on Brook Hollow Parkway and one on Club Drive. It is a remarkable day when I can get through these spots with a good mood intact.
To some degree, these occurrences are the function of traffic volume vs. road design. But they also are a reflection of human psychology that – while infuriating – is at the same time fascinating. How do these drivers‘ minds work? How far do they take their superiority? Do they run roughshod over their co-workers? Their family? Or is it contained to the anonymity of driving?
And why does it bother us so much? Is it just the violation of fair play? Is it the arrogance?
I’ve never seen anyone ticketed for this behavior. I’ve seen hand gestures, I’ve heard horns blow, but in the end, the invaders win and move ahead to repeat their tactics.
And the rest of us continue to sit and inch forward and follow the rules.
Doesn’t sound very courteous to me.
I know there are other traffic hot spots – not just congested areas of gridlock, but sites that encourage rude drivers to strut their stuff and test the composure of everyday motorists. Killian Hill Road has a couple. Stone Mountain Freeway near West Park Place has one.
Where are your worst cut-off corridors? How do you react?
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